Lee solid against Blue Jays, Martin hurts shoulder

Philadelphia Phillies right fielder John Mayberry dives for a single by Toronto Blue Jays' Edwin Encarnacion during the fifth inning of an exhibition baseball game in Dunedin, Fla., Thursday Feb. 27, 2014. (AP Photo/The Canadian Press, Frank Gunn)

DUNEDIN, Fla. — From rehabilitations to raw talents, the Phillies have plenty of pitchers to worry about this spring. In fact, Thursday afternoon they added another to the list when Ethan Martin left the Phillies’ 7-5 Grapefruit League loss to the Blue Jays with shoulder soreness.

Cliff Lee, meanwhile, is the rock.

He’s solid,” manager Ryne Sandberg said. “You know what you’re going to get, and so does the team and the players behind him. Guys can play defense behind him because he works so well with his command and locates the pitches.

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Lee’s stability in a realm where so many pitchers seem to be either overcoming or developing physical or mental issues makes it all the more ironic that the southpaw has been traded four times and persistently is the topic of trade rumors. That included this winter, and last trade deadline, and the previous winter, and the previous trade deadline, and …

“That’s nothing new for me,” Lee said after allowing a run and striking out three in two innings Thursday. “It seems like every year that’s going on.

“I don’t have a full no-trade clause, so there’s nothing I can do about that. I don’t have control over it, so there’s no sense worrying about it. I signed back with the Phillies because I wanted to come here and win, and that’s what I intend on doing.”

It certainly hasn’t been a failure of the veteran left-hander over the last two seasons that has seen the Phillies go into an organizational tailspin. Over the last two seasons he is sixth in ERA (3.01) and strikeouts (429) and second in walks and hits per inning (1.061) and first in walks per nine innings (1.25) among starters with at least 300 IP in that span.

It’s that dependability that makes his $25 million annual salary less of a strain and more of a solid investment. If everyone performed in relation to their paycheck the way Lee has the last two seasons, the Phillies wouldn’t have been the seventh-worst team in baseball while carrying the fifth-highest payroll.

Yet the three trades teams have made since Lee became an All-Star caliber starter have landed those teams 11 players of little to no big-league worth.

“That’s trades,” Lee said. “When you get guys from the minor leagues, you never know what you’re going to get. It’s hard to replace a guy who is established and has had success in the big leagues, no matter how you replace him with.

“There are a few phenoms who come up like the (Bryce) Harpers and (Mike) Trouts of the world, but a lot of young guys come up and you never know. That’s why you get package deals, you get one big leaguer for three or four minor leaguers. You just hope one is going to pan out, (but) you never know.”

As Lee gets closer to the end of his contract – he is guaranteed $62.5 million for the next two seasons, with another $15 million on top if he meets his vesting option for 2016 – the capability for teams to make a play for him in a trade is greater. However, that only happens if and when the Phillies show themselves to be less than contender quality for the third straight season.

Lee isn’t ready to concede that fact.

“I think that’s looking at it in a negative way,” Lee said. “I think we’re positive. We’re expecting to win and plan on doing everything we can to ensure that, so that’s how I’m looking at it.

“What happens in the next couple of months, we’ll just have to wait and see. As of now I’m expecting to prepare for a full season, go into Texas (Opening Day) and win the first game, then win the next one.”

Nothing has been officially stated, but the combination of Lee’s track record and Cole Hamels’ delayed start to spring training because of offseason tendinitis makes his designation as Opening Day starter a lock.

“It’s definitely an honor,” Lee said. “It’s the team saying they have faith in you and they assume you give them the best chance of winning.

“At the same time, it’s still just another game and someone has to do it. We’re all going to pitch every five days, so once it gets going it doesn’t really matter.”

If Lee is trying to do anything differently from last season, when he was an All-Star and finished sixth in Cy Young voting, it is to show his curve a little more to keep hitters honest as he pounds the zone with cutters and changeups.

Otherwise, the biggest concern seems to be whether the other 24 players will be good enough to keep Lee a Phillie for all of 2014.

“There’s no sense really thinking about it,” he said. “Honestly, (being a trade chip) usually means a good thing. It means you’ve had success and other teams really want you. So that’s a positive.”

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As for Martin, both he and the manager were concerned when his shoulder was stiff during warmups, then the usually hard-throwing prospect took the mound in the fifth inning Thursday and threw 85 mph fastballs – about 10 mph less than his usual heat. That will facilitate a trip to the doctor Friday.

“I just felt a little discomfort warming up, and after that I didn’t have much on it. I don’t know,” said Martin, who was to be prepped as either rotation depth, or as a competitor for a right-hander reliever’s spot. “Obviously I’m concerned, no matter what happens. I’ll let it rest, let everything calm down and check it out in the morning, see what they have to say.”

Sandberg was holding hope that Martin was experiencing some dead arm. If it proves to be something more, it leaves the Phils in need of someone to rise to the occasion in camp. Among starting candidates, Miguel Gonzalez, David Buchanan and Jeff Manship have an opportunity to move up the depth chart. Among right-handed relievers, Michael Stutes, Phillippe Aumont and Rule 5 draft selection Kevin Munson have had the door opened more. B.J. Rosenberg, who worked two scoreless innings Thursday, becomes a guy who might be stretched out to offer another option both as a starter and reliever.

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Before the Phils traveled to Dunedin, veteran right-hander Mike Adams took his first turn off the mound this spring after having season-ending shoulder surgery last summer and offseason sports-hernia surgery.

Adams said he threw at about 85 percent effort. Once a set-up man who would clock in the mid-90 mph range with his fastball, he is prepared to adapt to having less velocity after a series of physical issues.

“Obviously the past couple years the velocity has gone down and down and down,” Adams, 35, said. “So, I don’t have that 95 that I used to have.

“I played with a lot of guys that didn’t have a lot of velocity – Greg Maddux, Trevor Hoffman. They didn’t have the velocity, but they knew how to pitch, they kept the ball down and located. They changed speeds. It’s not impossible.”

NOTES: The Phils got home runs from Darin Ruf and John Mayberry Jr., and three hits from Ben Revere in Thursday’s loss. Sandberg, who has been stressing fundamentals this spring, wasn’t happy with a couple of sloppy base-running and fielding mistakes. “A couple of innings they scored some runs when we gave them too many outs,” Sandberg said. “One inning we gave them four outs, another inning we gave them five outs, so that wasn’t good. We had a couple guys doubled up on soft liners that were easy read.” … The Phils return home Friday to host a Tigers split-squad team. Kyle Kendrick makes the start opposite Jose Alvarez.